WATCH: Virtual Town Hall ‘The Great Indoors – Keeping Your Home Free of Toxics’
Did you know invisible pollutants in our indoor air can be harmful to our health? In our virtual town hall yesterday, we learned from experts the Dos and Don’ts of creating a healthy home and how we can stem the tide of unnecessary industry-created chemicals that find their way into our homes.
Speakers included:
- Veena Singla, Senior Scientist, NRDC
- Leila D. Behjat, Architect & Senior Researcher, Parsons Healthy Materials Lab
- Jimena Díaz Leiva, Science Director, CEH
- Karen Wang, Healthy Building Consultant and the Founder of Because Health
Regina Jackson, Interim CEO of CEH moderated the discussion.
Watch the full recording here.
Check out these resources from our speakers:
- Leila Behjat’s slides (Parsons Healthy Materials Lab)
- Karen Wang’s slides (Inhabit Well)
- Read CEH’s report “Flooring’s Dirty Climate Secret” and resources
- Green Science Policy Institute’s resource on the six classes of toxic chemicals
CEH would like to give special thanks to our sponsors who made our virtual town hall series possible: LinkedIn, Naturepedic, Trillium Asset Management, and with additional support from Stacey Marshall.
“LinkedIn believes in the importance of a healthy home environment – especially as the “work from home” model becomes an increasingly viable option for companies. We are grateful to CEH for their bold work to eliminate toxic chemicals in our homes and other environments,” said a spokesperson from LinkedIn about the event.
Thank you to our community for all the questions. Here are some answers to frequently asked questions:
What devices can be used to monitor indoor air quality?
Karen Wang recommends Kaiterra.
Can you recommend an indoor air purifier that is ozone-free and also reduces VOCs?
Here is a list of CARB-certified air purifiers that meet an ozone emission concentration limit of 50 ppb. Some come with carbon filters that helpVOCs.
Can air purifiers with HEPA filters and fresh air help reduce chemical exposure to a significant degree?
HEPA filters filter out particulate matter, but not toxic gasses like VOCs. The most important thing you can do is to ventilate by bringing in clean outdoor air.
How can we make homes safer for children with asthma?
Check out these resources on reducing asthma triggers from the American Lung Association and UCSF.
Can you advise on safe and healthy insulation materials?
Check out this guidance from the Healthy Building Network. They are a great resource for a variety of building materials.
What companies in the U.S. are currently offering products and/or services using safer materials?
You can find this information on the Building Clean website.
For 26 years, CEH’s Built Environment program has worked to clean up the furniture and flooring product categories by partnering with large institutions to leverage their purchasing power and transform markets away from toxic materials and towards health-protective practices.